Live Anywhere Will Combine Xbox 360 with Windows

Aside from the gaming tiles for Vista and the demonstration of DirectX 10's capabilities at E3, Microsoft made an additional announcement, which is likely to cause some gamers' blood pressure to go up.

Bill Gates, Chairman and Chief Software Architect, Microsoft, announced yesterday Live Anywhere, the Redmond company's vision which combines the Xbox Live games with the Windows platform.

This vision will first materialize in winter with the release of Shadowrun, which will be shipped simultaneously on Windows Vista and Xbox 360 and will create a bridge between consoles and computers.

The new online network will provide Windows Vista and Xbox 360 gamers with a consistent experience, with one gamertag, one set of achievements, one friends list and voice communications between all Xbox Live members.

As Microsoft's press release claims, through Live Anywhere, millions of gamers worldwide can access all the best elements of Xbox Live whether they're playing on an Xbox 360 system, a Windows-based PC or their mobile phone.

"We're incredibly excited to combine the best online innovations from Xbox Live with the platform innovations for which Windows is known," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft.